And yet, just this May, the chess-playing public watched on in horror as the US Women’s Chess Championship was decided by a blitz playoff, capped by an Armageddon game. Worst of all, with digital clocks now the standard in tournament play, there was no time-delay used for these games.

How is it right to take a cerebral art and turn it into a show of manual dexterity? Same goes for when the ICC conducts important qualifying tournaments, like the Challenge of State Champions, in which I once competed, at a rate of 3 minutes per side, with—you guessed it—no delay.

Irina’s explosive rook launch upon being flagged in this most critical of games is understandable: Video on ChessBase.

Reminds me of the time my freshman roommate at UNH chucked his King against the cement wall after losing a game to me. Why was that particular game so frustrating for him? Well, I was playing blindfold, and he had sight of the board.

So, what do you think about how the US Women’s Championship went down and about time delay in general? What’s your favorite time control? As a player? Spectator? Don’t be shy. Add a comment below.